Story+2009-06-02+Tampere,+Finland

“Hei, Finland! (crowd cheers) Tampere! (crowd cheers) we’re so glad to be here (crowd cheers) in your beautiful city tonight (crowd cheers) we’re so glad to be back…the E Street Band has come back with a purpose, with a job to do…we plan to fulfil our solemn vow to rock the house! (crowd cheers) but we ain’t here just to rock the house tonight…we’ve come thousands of miles all the way to where Santa Claus was born, that’s what I heard (crowd cheers) and we plan to build a house tonight (crowd cheers) that’s right…we’re gonna build a house tonight right on this field…we’re gonna take the fear that’s out there and we’re gonna build a house of love (crowd cheers) we’re gonna take the doubt that’s out there and we’re gonna build a house of faith…we’re gonna take the sadness that’s out there and we’re gonna build a house of joy and happiness (crowd cheers) and we’re gonna take the cooling off and we’re gonna build a house of sexual healing! (crowd cheers) that’s right, that’s right…and we got all the tools we need right here on this stage and in these seats and on this field out here…we got everything we need…and we’re gonna build a house out of music and spirit, we’re gonna use some bad wood and we’re gonna use some good wood, we’re gonna use the bad news that’s out there in the world tonight and we’re gonna bring the good news that’s here tonight (crowd cheers) and we’re gonna build a house from music and spirit and noise…now the mighty E Street Band is here tonight and we’re gonna bring on you the power of the music (crowd cheers) but Tampere, Finland, we need you to bring the noise! (crowd cheers) now sing it like you mean it…”
 * 02.06.09 Ratinan Stadion, Tampere, Finland, intro to “Working on a Dream”**

“What do we gotta do?...(a little girl in the audience: “Miira, four years”) Me who? (the girl: “His second show”) oh!...pretty small for second show – can I borrow those headsets? (crowd cheers) just raise your hand!...”
 * 02.06.09 Ratinan Stadion, Tampere, Finland, middle of “Raise Your Hand”**

“(After the singalong)(laughs) That’s pretty good…”
 * 02.06.09 Ratinan Stadion, Tampere, Finland, beginning of “Thunder Road”**

“(laughs) Come on, girl (laughs)…once more just a little bit louder… (a woman sings quietly)…”
 * 02.06.09 Ratinan Stadion, Tampere, Finland, middle of “Waitin’ on a Sunny Day”**

“(sees the sign for the song in the pit)…Thank you very much (crowd cheers) at the dark end of the street (chuckles) that’s good one – yeah, that’s where we’d always meet…hiding in shadows where we don’t belong…living in darkness to hide our wrong…you and me…at the dark end of the street…oh yeah…bring that sign up, keep playing, boys…(band goes on playing)…this is a great soul song…by James Carr…also I think Clarence – did Clarence Carter cover this? (turns to Steve) yeah, he did…the great thing…and Percy Sledge, right…the great thing about this song was there was a big rap that Clarence Carter did, I’ll fake it a little bit for you… Clarence would say…here we go…now I wanna talk to the men out there tonight…are there any men out there tonight slipping around on their women? (not much of a response) very quiet in the crowd (chuckles)(laughs from the crowd) are there any women out there tonight slipping around on their men? (bigger response)(laughs) the girls are not ashamed…but there’s a cost…there’s a cost that we pay for deception…we’ve always got a secret we’ve got to keep… we’ve always got to be hiding, sneaking around…now, I’ve been there myself…but not for many, many, many, many, many years (crowd cheers) many, many years!...but I would call this woman up and I would say…”Darling, are you free tonight?”…and she’d see if her husband was gonna be home…but then we had to decide where we might meet…now, we couldn’t take the chance of going downtown because someone might see us…we couldn’t go into a night club – someone might see us…so I’d call on the phone and say “Baby, I’ve got to see you…but we’ve got to meet…at the dark end of the street” – take it to the top now…at the dark end of the street…that’s where we always meet…hiding in shadows ‘cause we know we’re wrong…slipping in darkness to hide our wrong…you and me – hit it, boys – at the dark end…of the street…(the song comes to a close)(crowd cheers) that’s how it went, that’s for you…”
 * 02.06.09 Ratinan Stadion, Tampere, Finland, “The Dark End of the Street”**

“I love that song, I used to love that song, man!...it says it all, baby (chuckles) look out! (chuckles)…oh, that put the fear of God in me, I’m gonna send this one out to my love, Patti, she’s at home, she sends you all her love (crowd cheers) this one goes to her…”
 * 02.06.09 Ratinan Stadion, Tampere, Finland, intro to “Kingdom of Days” (following “The Dark End of the Street”)**

“Thanks, this is, uh, this is a song we’ve been doing back home where, uh…we’ve been suffering some of the hardest times, I guess, since the Great Depression at home, there’s been millions of people who have lost their jobs over the past several years and hundreds of thousands just in the recent months, don’t know when it’s gonna get better, this was a song written by Stephen Foster in 1855, it’s called “Hard times come again no more”…”
 * 02.06.09 Ratinan Stadion, Tampere, Finland, intro to “Hard Times”**

“Thank you for coming out to the show tonight (crowd cheers)… (…) The incredible Little Steven (crowd cheers) Curtis King (crowd cheers) the thunder from down under, Garry W. Tallent (crowd cheers) Sister Soozie Tyrell (crowd cheers) the phenomenon, the prodigy, Jay Weinberg on the drums (crowd cheers) Professor Roy Bittan (crowd cheers) Charlie Giordano (crowd cheers) the lovely Cindy Mizelle (crowd cheers) one of the greatest guitarists in the world, Nils Lofgren (crowd cheers) and the biggest and handsomest man you’ve ever seen: Clarence “Big Man” Clemons (crowd cheers) Tampere! (crowd cheers) Suomi! (crowd cheers) Suomi! (crowd cheers) Suomi! (crowd cheers) Suomi! (crowd cheers) Suomi! (crowd cheers) Suomi! (crowd cheers) Suomi! (crowd cheers) you’ve just seen the heart-stopping, pants-dropping, hard-rocking, earth-shocking, booty-shaking, love-making, Viagra-taking, history-making, legendary (crowd: “E Street Band”)(crowd cheers) that’s right...”
 * 02.06.09 Ratinan Stadion, Tampere, Finland, intro to “American Land”**

“Can you take any more? (crowd cheers)… (…) Come on, Steve…I think it’s quitting time…it’s time to go home now...(?) I can’t tell…I think the sun’s still up (Steve: “(?) day or midnight?”) I can’t tell, I can’t tell (Steve: “Looks like daytime to me”) well, if it ain’t quitting time then what I wanna know…(?) it’s six o’clock back in the United States, we’re six hours ahead, now it’s nine o’clock back in California…oh, what time is it, Steve? (Steve: “It’s Boss-time!”)…”
 * 02.06.09 Ratinan Stadion, Tampere, Finland, intro to “Glory Days”**

“[Bruce gets the sign for “Santa Claus” from the pit]…Hei, Suomi (crowd cheers) hei, Suomi (crowd cheers) only in Finland (crowd cheers)…(intro music starts)…Joulupukki* (crowd cheers) Joulupukki (crowd cheers) what does that fucking mean? I don’t know what it means…Joulupukki-time (crowd cheers) here he comes…(chuckling under his breath as he starts singing)… (…) Oh, that’s right…you got it now…I do think I hear Santa…I do think he’s in Tampere…it’s Joulupukki-time, I can tell you right now …come on, boys…Santa Claus is comin’ to town (crowd sings) I need to hear all the Finnish people (crowd sings) much louder (crowd sings) much, much louder (crowd sings) much, much, much louder (crowd sings) much, much, much louder (crowd sings)…keep playing…C, one more solo (Clarence plays a solo)(Bruce goes back into the song one extra time)…” [*Santa Claus]
 * 02.06.09 Ratinan Stadion, Tampere, Finland, intro to “Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town”**

“Give me the other guitar, Jimmy…keep going, keep going…keep going…”
 * 02.06.09 Ratinan Stadion, Tampere, Finland, intro to “Dancing in the Dark”**

“Thank you, we love you (crowd cheers) thank you, Santa Claus (crowd cheers)…”
 * 02.06.09 Ratinan Stadion, Tampere, Finland, after “Dancing in the Dark”**

//Compiled by Johanna Pirttijärvi//